Sunday, November 28, 2004
A man called Gunasekhara and a troubled island
Known once as the mythical Taprobane, later as Ceylon, and now Sri Lanka
Coconut Palms,Colombo
Read today about the possibility of strife and turmoil beginning anew in the beautiful island of Sri Lanka after a relatively calm period of two years during which negotiations for an agreement about the Tamil Tigers' demand for self government went on under Norwegian mediators.
Leader of the Tamil Tigers, Vellupillai Prabhakaran, has issued an ominous warning that he has reached the "limits of patience".
A BBC report mentioned that 60,000 people have died during the conflict between the Tamils and Sri Lankans. What is certain is that the outlook for civilians, Tamils and Sri Lankans, is grim. They can again expect to be innocent victims, caught in suicide bombings and harsh retaliatory measures.
It is a situation that has parallels in various corners of the world---people who look alike, dress alike, in some countries even speak the same language---are killing each other in senseless hatred.
The cycle of violence was just beginning to raise its head in 1984 when I spent a few days in Colombo,the capital of Sri Lanka. As the aircraft descended and began its approach to Bandaranaika Airport all I could see were coconut palms, miles and miles of them. Colombo was refreshingly different after Karachi,Pakistan, which was my previous stop. I found it full of charms. Names of streets and neat bungalows with gardens in front were reminders that the island was under British rule from 1796 to 1948 when it became a Dominion. Small, compared to Bombay and Madras, it was much cleaner than them. The downtown buildings looked well maintained. The promenade along the waterfront far more attractive than Marine Drive in Bombay. Restaurants served good meals. As in Thailand, coconut (in various forms) figures prominently in the cuisine of Sri Lanka. Fresh seafood was plentiful.
Today when I think of my brief sojourn in that beautiful island it is Gunasekhara, the young Sri Lankan assigned to be my liaision with the venerable agency house (once British but then under local management) that I went to negotiate a contract with for husbanding ships of my employers in California, who comes to mind.
Gunasekhara and I spent many hours talking about the business of shipping, taking meals together, and drinking beer after work. We used to spend the evenings at the somewhat decrepit Taprobane Hotel. It was then that Gunasekhara voiced his concern about the dark clouds of violence looming in the horizon. He felt that there could not be a peaceful settlement. The Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka would not agree to a separate homeland for Tamils in the northern and eastern parts of the island. He was apprehensive about what would happen. For him, there was a personal issue involved; he was in love with a woman from an orthodox Tamil family. A Capulets and Montagues situation.
After I returned to California we exchanged some messages by telex (that was long before the advent of the Internet) about business. Gunasekhara was right. The escalation of attacks and counterattacks in Sri Lanka was receiving attention of the world press. Tamil Tigers had become more active and so were government forces in trying to quash them. Once, during a telephone call to Colombo, I asked Gunasekhara about his personal situation. He remained quiet for a while and then said "not good".
Events forced me to move on to another job. I lost track of Gunasekhara. I hope that he and his love survived.
******************************
"Anil's Ghost", a novel by the Canadian author Michael Ondaatje touches a part...a small part of the atrocities that have taken place during the two decades of conflict between the Tamils and Sri Lankans. Ondaatje was born in Sri Lanka.
******************************
"I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent."
----Mahatma Gandhi
Coconut Palms,Colombo
Read today about the possibility of strife and turmoil beginning anew in the beautiful island of Sri Lanka after a relatively calm period of two years during which negotiations for an agreement about the Tamil Tigers' demand for self government went on under Norwegian mediators.
Leader of the Tamil Tigers, Vellupillai Prabhakaran, has issued an ominous warning that he has reached the "limits of patience".
A BBC report mentioned that 60,000 people have died during the conflict between the Tamils and Sri Lankans. What is certain is that the outlook for civilians, Tamils and Sri Lankans, is grim. They can again expect to be innocent victims, caught in suicide bombings and harsh retaliatory measures.
It is a situation that has parallels in various corners of the world---people who look alike, dress alike, in some countries even speak the same language---are killing each other in senseless hatred.
The cycle of violence was just beginning to raise its head in 1984 when I spent a few days in Colombo,the capital of Sri Lanka. As the aircraft descended and began its approach to Bandaranaika Airport all I could see were coconut palms, miles and miles of them. Colombo was refreshingly different after Karachi,Pakistan, which was my previous stop. I found it full of charms. Names of streets and neat bungalows with gardens in front were reminders that the island was under British rule from 1796 to 1948 when it became a Dominion. Small, compared to Bombay and Madras, it was much cleaner than them. The downtown buildings looked well maintained. The promenade along the waterfront far more attractive than Marine Drive in Bombay. Restaurants served good meals. As in Thailand, coconut (in various forms) figures prominently in the cuisine of Sri Lanka. Fresh seafood was plentiful.
Today when I think of my brief sojourn in that beautiful island it is Gunasekhara, the young Sri Lankan assigned to be my liaision with the venerable agency house (once British but then under local management) that I went to negotiate a contract with for husbanding ships of my employers in California, who comes to mind.
Gunasekhara and I spent many hours talking about the business of shipping, taking meals together, and drinking beer after work. We used to spend the evenings at the somewhat decrepit Taprobane Hotel. It was then that Gunasekhara voiced his concern about the dark clouds of violence looming in the horizon. He felt that there could not be a peaceful settlement. The Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka would not agree to a separate homeland for Tamils in the northern and eastern parts of the island. He was apprehensive about what would happen. For him, there was a personal issue involved; he was in love with a woman from an orthodox Tamil family. A Capulets and Montagues situation.
After I returned to California we exchanged some messages by telex (that was long before the advent of the Internet) about business. Gunasekhara was right. The escalation of attacks and counterattacks in Sri Lanka was receiving attention of the world press. Tamil Tigers had become more active and so were government forces in trying to quash them. Once, during a telephone call to Colombo, I asked Gunasekhara about his personal situation. He remained quiet for a while and then said "not good".
Events forced me to move on to another job. I lost track of Gunasekhara. I hope that he and his love survived.
******************************
"Anil's Ghost", a novel by the Canadian author Michael Ondaatje touches a part...a small part of the atrocities that have taken place during the two decades of conflict between the Tamils and Sri Lankans. Ondaatje was born in Sri Lanka.
******************************
"I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent."
----Mahatma Gandhi
